Underdog
by GusCGC
Summary: Sequel of "Music from the Grave". The gang is in a war of three sides and if they don t do something quick, they ll perish. It takes more than just heroes to solve this mystery, it takes an underdog. More inside. REVIEWS!
1. Needs and Whims

Author´s note: And third bullet in the chamber and taking it from the top, this one will be a bit shorter that the previous ones so that the next one is my version of "All Fear the Freak". This one is surely going to give you a boost! Go, baby, go! Song belongs to Lifehouse.

This one is set after "Menace of the Manticore" so yes, we do a BIG jump. But fear not, let´s go!

* * *

**1. Needs and Whims**

Mayor Jones is thoughtful, very thoughtful. After all these mysteries solved by the gang led by his son, he has come to the conclusion that they got help from someone more experienced than them. Four kids like that and a dog can´t possibly break so much riddles by themselves. They have help and taking into account what happened during the Night of the Fireflies, that someone helping them had to be of the old Mystery Incorporated. After all, Pericles is loose and since the festival, he is almost sure that Angel is Cassidy Williams, but she avoids him. And that man in the wheelchair, could that be Ricky Owens? The fact is nobody has met Destroido´s owner and yet, those bangs can´t be from someone else. Are they back for revenge? Hm. And he´s stuck with the tourism problem. He needs to attract people to Crystal Cove and get rid of those two but how?

Hmm.

Destroido has some illegal business, that is certain. Perhaps that is his chance to get to Ricky Owens, since he´s the one hiding. But how can he uncover that? Hu? There´s a cargo coming to town. Maybe he can use the gang for his own purposes. And he knows exactly the way to do that.

SD

E´s lair is quiet. Ricky watches the monitors as the kids are solving the Headless mystery and he has some time for himself. Now that one of the pieces is located, he wonders about the one they found twenty years ago in the caves, and a bit more to himself, his relation with Cassidy. She´s getting too close to the kids. And Jones is now behind their trail. They are in a very hard situation.

"Sir" Ed walks in. "The cargo will arrive tomorrow night"

"Very well. We shall be ready for it. Any news about Pericles?"

"Not a single one"

"Then we proceed as planned" he walks through the room when a shiver runs down his spine. Bad omen. Perhaps it is just that. "Has Angel phoned?"

"No, sir"

"Then, call her. We have important matters to discuss" he watches his henchman leave before leaning on his chair. He feels awfully tired. This days he has hardly sleep. His stomach growls, this is hell for his health. Hm? The phone is ringing. He picks it up. It must be Angel. "Yes?"

"Gutten morgen, Ricky" is Pericles. Speaking of the devil.

"How did you...?" he tries to hang up.

"I vouldn´t do dat if I vere you"

"Why not?"

"Because I haf important news" the parrot stops him just in time.

"Like what?"

"Jones haz figured out your presence"

"What?" this can´t be good. Not now, now like this.

"He haz taken hiz time vut he haz realized it vas you all along. And he might ve plannink to savotage your cargo"

"And you just cared? Go to hell!"

"(Snigger) I vill, don´t you vorry vout dat" the parrot and his games. "He vill use de kinder against you"

"How do you know all this?"

"Cuz I´m standink right at his vindow and seeink vhat is he doing. You are in vig trouvle, Ricky dear" like it or not, he´s right. His stomach turns a little. "Vut I can help you solve dis"

"I don´t need your help"

"Uh, dat´s cold. Vell, no matter. Mayve my ears are deceivink me vut I can tell dat de sounds I´m hearink are from your stomach. You must ve gettink ill, mein kinder"

"Shut up"

"Sleepless days, hardly eatink, no exercise, stress... All in all, is puttink a noose around your neck"

"This is my problem, not yours"

"Hung me up and I vill tell Jones all I know"

"You wouldn´t..."

"Oh, yes I vould. De dirty secrets of your company exposed"

"I´m not scared of you"

"Yes, you are. Vut I can tell dat you are more concerned vout dear Cassidy" is true. That is something he cannot deny.

"Let her out of this, that is all I ask"

"And vhy should I do dat? In de festival, I offered you a way to save de kinder vut you turned me down. Vhy should I ve merciful this time?"

"I´m the one you want, not her"

"And so? I vant you to suffer as much as I did. And if to do so, I must torture her, I vill, vy all means"

"You pathetic bird!"

"Vho´s pathetic? You, a smart and intelligent fellow, choose a girl over me and got himself reduced to a shadow of a man, alvays hidink vehind cryptic notes and messages"

"You betrayed us for a treasure and because you were jealous"

"You picked up a stupid skhool girl vhen I could haf given you so much. Then again, you vill come to me in di end" laughter and Pericles hungs up. E sighs. If things could get any worse, they already have. He feels tired. That stupid bird isn´t kidding about anything. And Jones, is he really going to use the gang against him? His legs start shaking and Ricky sits down.

"Sir" Ed is back. "You´re all right?"

"Just tired. How dangerous is the cargo for the living creatures?"

"Dangerous if it comes to direct contact. All the ship´s crew wear security suits"

"I see" he goes thoughtful. What if the kids board the ship? "Ed"

"Sir?"

"We will go tomorrow night to check on the unloading"

"Sir, you might risk..."

"I know what I´m risking here"

"And your health?"

"I´ll be just fine. Just make sure that Angel is aware"

"Right away"

Ricky leans back. If Pericles tries anything, the blow can be a hard one to hold and if it means telling Jones all, it can only mean that they can all fall down with it. But how can he prevent that from happening? And how is he going to keep Pericles far from the formula inside the ship?

SD

"Are you sure it will work? Cuz I have no reasons to trust again, you should know that, bird" Mayor Jones glances at Pericles.

"Ovens is aware dat zings are gettink dangerous for him. Vut now is the vest moment to strike"

"Why is that?"

"He´s gettink ill. He hardly eats, sleeps or leaves his lair"

"But if he does not leave his lair..." Jones goes thoughtful.

"I haf left him a little somethink so dat he vill go tomorrow to the docks"

"Then, we have him!"

"Yes and no"

"Hu?"

"Ricky alvays goes vith his henchman Ed Machine. If ve try to get to dem just like dat, he vill leave"

"Then, what?"

"Ve must force him out again. Or make sure dat tomorrow, he´s too veak to get avay"

"How? That´s impossible"

"No. Today he vill rest and tomorrow night, I shall vring somethink along to make sure dat we catch him"

"Very well, and once we have him?"

"Ricky knows a vig deal vout de treasure and is concerned avout de kinder and his lover"

"His lover?" a smirk appears in Jones face.

"Cassidy Villiams, also known as Angel Dynamitte. Dey say dat deir love is gone vut I can tell vhen I see two Unzertrennlichen. Dey madly love each oder"

"Now, that´s interesting"

"Dhat vill ve our deck card against him"

"Then is settled. And don´t try anything, bird. Cuz I know how to put you in place"

"I vill" Pericles flies away leaving Jones to his meditations.

SD

"Gang, we have a mystery to solve!"

"Like already? But we just got through one!" complained Shaggy.

"For once, I agree with him" Velma gives Fred a look.

"Re roo" Scooby rubs against his friend´s hand who smiles.

"I´m sorry but this one´s serious. It is related to the Planispheric Disk"

"No kidding. And what does it say?" they all read the e-mail.

"It is about a cargo arriving tomorrow. It is owned by Destroido, the company of the Cicada monster and according to this, the cargo transports certain information and equipment related to the disk as the owner of the company is also looking for it"

"Weird. How did they know we were after the disk?"

"I dunno but it seems like there is more people in this"

"From what I can read, is not only that the owner is searching for the piece but it is also related to Mr. E"

"This person writing knows too much"

"Maybe but the only way to find it out is going tomorrow to the docks"

"Freddie..."

"If it is Destroido, they can be carrying toxic substances" good deduction.

"Roxic?" Scooby moves his ears.

"Yep" the dog remembers then his unpleasant experience at the nest.

_The dog sighs while passing a door that is half open. WOUH, THERE! Half open?! The great Dane opens it with his nose and walks in followed by Cait and Jade who decides to stay at the doorway._

"_Rooh! Rhat´s riss?" Scooby looks around until he spots something on top of the steel tables. Could it be? YES! FOOD! He´s starving!_

"_Uh, I wouldn´t do that if I were you" whispers the feline seeing that he´s going to eat that._

"_ROOD" he slurps the strange jelly and smiles._

"_Oh, dear" Cait drops his ears._

"_You know what, is exactly how I remember him" Jade mutters in the cat´s ear._

"_You can say it out loud, sister. Five hundred years and he´s still that big mouthed mutt"_

_Scooby pays no attention, he has eaten so little in this fic (we have to give him that) but when the dog has swallowed the jelly, something strange begins to happen. His body starts to shake, his fur is changing its colour over and over, from green to red with all kinds of spots. Oh, dear. Then he feels something bubbling inside his stomach and he opens his mouth in pain letting out a big flare that almost turns his companions into ashes. Scooby feels like choking. What is happening to him? He lets out some smoke and just stands there feeling that the potion was far from done with him. His tail begins to grow as well as all his body. Cait glares at him in panic. Scooby is becoming a huge dragon and if he doesn´t prevent it, he will destroy the whole place!_

"_For the love of a kitten!" the cat grabs one of the vials of the room and pours its content inside the dog´s mouth. Cait knows that this is where the "miners", the builders of the Submarine along with Soulfog used to do their experiments so this cannot be good at all. Scooby feels all his body bubbling inside, as if all his inner parts are made out of goo or something. The great Dane lets out a big belch. Cait doesn´t hid his disgust but starts fearing another terrible transformation which takes place in just seconds as the canine feels a great explosion inside his body and passes away._

"_Cait, you should have closed this place before going to town" Jade remains unmoved._

"_I know but, I´ve just got four paws, darling"_

_Scooby whimpers. The explosions inside of him and getting more and more bigger. What is happening? Is he going to die in a horrible way? What is going on? What about Shaggy, Mr E and the others?_

_Then his whole body stretches itself as if it no longer followed his commands. His chest rises and his head becomes a huge fireworks display while his body is exploding, changing, shifting, enlarging. He opens his eyes. YIKES! Now there´s another head where his tail was, but when both heads scream, another explosion transforms the dog into a cat, then into a large Scooby snack and that over and over until he is finally back to his self. Poor dog whimpers. What a horrible experience!_

"_That should teach you about eating stuff you don´t know" grumbles Jade and she leads them to the corridor. Scooby nods and the three leave the lab._

He sighs while the gang talks about how are they going to get suits to get into the ship without any danger. The whole day is to get ready and when the next evening arrives, they are at the docks. For some reason, Mayor Jones has given them access to the cargo and give them the isolation suits they need but now they have to wait until the vessel gets into the port. The Great Dane sighs when a sudden smell catches his attention. Is wonderful, is tasty and is very close to where they are. Taking advance from Fred´s last orders, the dog follows his sense of smell to some crates where he finds some Nature Slivers. Without a second thought, the dog starts eating with a smile.

SD

Ed Machine watches from an alley where he has hidden the car with E inside. They have seen the gang getting ready to board and they wait a chance to prevent any kind of move from Pericles or Jones. It is then when he sees Scooby eating the chips. The man gets in the car and explains the situation to his boss.

"This can only mean that we don´t have much time. We have to hide our experiment and fast. The question is where" Ricky thinks it hard.

"What about the kids?"

"They won´t find much about us. I have made sure of that"

"And Jones?"

"He´s here, waiting for us. Hmm... Did you said that Scooby was separated from the others?"

"He´s eating one of the crates of chips"

"... I´ve got an idea. But to do so, it has to be now, so listen carefully" he exposes his plan and Ed puts his five senses to it. "Now, we better get moving"

"Sir, what if...?"

"If something happens to me, you know what to do. You must do it no matter what"

"Yes, sir" Ed says. He isn´t sure about all this but perhaps is the best thing to do. A sudden sound catches their attention. Ricky´s stomach is making strange sounds and they do not look good. "Perhaps you should wait here, sir"

"No. I´ll be just fine" he stands up, trying to ignore the whining of his body. Lately he has fallen ill too often. Partly because he sleeps too little and eats in a very unhealthy way but also because he´s worried. These days all he can think about was Angel. Ricky softly bits his lip. Why is he so madly in love and yet, cannot tell her anything about it? Just sound menacing and controlling? Cassidy "Angel" is all he can think about right now. He will never forgive himself if Pericles tries to hurt her.

"_Find me here,_

_And speak to me._

_I want to feel you,_

_I need to hear you._

_You are the light,_

_That's leading me,_

_To the place,_

_Where I find peace again._

_You are the strength,_

_That keeps me walking._

_You are the hope,_

_That keeps me trusting._

_You are the light,_

_To my soul._

_You are my purpose,_

_You're everything._

_How can I stand here with you,_

_And not be moved by you?_

_Would you tell me,_

_How could it be,_

_Any better than this?_

_You calm the storms,_

_And you give me rest._

_You hold me in your hands,_

_You won't let me fall._

_You steal my heart,_

_And you take my breath away._

_Would you take me in,_

_Take me deeper now._

_And how can I stand here with you,_

_And not be moved by you?_

_Would you tell me,_

_How could it be,_

_Any better than this?_

_And how can I stand here with you,_

_And not be moved by you?_

_Would you tell me,_

_How could it be,_

_Any better than this?_

_Cause you're all I want,_

_You're all I need,_

_You're everything, everything._

_You're all I want,_

_You're all I need,_

_You're everything, everything._

_You're all I want,_

_You're all I need,_

_You're everything, everything._

_You're all I want,_

_You're all I need,_

_You're everything, everything._

_And how can I stand here with you,_

_And not be moved by you?_

_Would you tell me,_

_How could it be,_

_Any better than this?_

_And how can I stand here with you,_

_And not be moved by you?_

_Would you tell me,_

_How could it be,_

_Any better, any better than this?_

_And how can I stand here with you,_

_And not be moved by you_

_Would you tell me,_

_How could it be,_

_Any better than this?_

_Would you tell me,_

_How could it be,_

_Any better than this..."_

The man glances at the ship´s bridge and steps into the light.

* * *

First round.

First shivers.

What is the formula?

Will Pericles and Jones plan succeed? Will Mr. E escape?

What´s inside the ship?

Next Clue: Ship of Babel


	2. Ship of Babel

Author´s note: Poor Scooby and Shaggy won´t have a rest in this fic. Specially not if the mystery of the Never Land goes on. Read carefully cuz things are going to get hot from the very beginning. Watch out! This is one WEIRD chapter, you´ll be warned!

* * *

**2. Ship of Babel**

The captain does not like one bit having the sleuths on board but he can´t go against the orders of the Mayor so he shows them around. Scooby is still eating but not for long as Shaggy grabs the bag of Nature Slivers from him. The captain then explains that the cargo was bought for Destroido in half of Mr. Simmons, an important share-holder and old friend of the company´s owner. When they are about to ask about what they are transporting, they hear several noises coming from one of the meeting rooms.

Mr. Zimmer, Simmon´s right hand man, has discovered a stowaway. The Russian secretary is pretty posh if we compare him to the man hiding in the corner who is ragged and looks pretty strange with his long nails, unruly hair and big eyes. Both men are two perfect opposites.

"Captain, I just found this man spying in the cargo chambers"

"That´s impossible, Mr. Zimmer. No one can enter those rooms without a security scaphander. That goo is too dangerous"

"No one but me" smiles the stranger. "(Cough) Isman Whotells, at your humble service"

"How did you get in?"

"That´s my little secret, capt´n. But I´ll tell you what. If you let me go now, you may prevent something terrible from happening"

"Yeah, ya in shackles. Get this luvver dog out of my sight!" two sailors come in and Isman sees then the gang.

"Oh, please, please. Wonderful, brave captain, let me talk with the kids or at least, let me have a snack, I haven´t eat in days"

"No way, you salty fish"

"..." the stranger frowns and breathes in before speaking in a strange tone voice that only Scooby and the captain could hear. "And then, the captain, out of his great kindness, gave the man the slivers bag" and just seconds later, the sailor snatches from Shaggy the bag and gives it to Isman who smiles. "Thank you so much. I was starving" he gently puts his hand inside and grabs just a few before giving them back.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" asks Velma.

"At last a good question! I´m watching over this cargo for it was stolen from my homeland"

"What do you mean?"

"You have no idea of what are they carrying, do you?"

"Not really" Fred admits. "We heard it had something to do with..."

"With the Planispheric Disk and your strange friend or foe, Mr. E" whispers Isman with a smile leaving the gang breathless. How did he know that? "Yes, it has to do with monsters" that convinces the captain and Mr. Zimmer. "So, tell me, fair children. Care for a heart to heart?"

"I´m not sure it is a good idea to be left alone with this loony" grumbles the captain.

"I´m not going to eat them, my beloved captain. Besides, here they are safe from the goo" Isman giggles.

"I´ll phone Mr. Simmons and Destroido. And you, dura, don´t try anything" the gang notices then Zimmer´s Russian accent and both grown ups leave.

"Pushy, aren´t they?" giggles Isman. "Well, I bet you have plenty of questions"

"Yes. First, your name is pretty weird" frowns Daphne.

"Is similar to Usman, from Urdu, meaning Chosen One. Although Isman is much better"

"You said that your job is to watch over the cargo that was stolen"

"Yes, you got that right. A very dangerous thing they have in this ship. Is a special goo found in the Galskap Cave, the Cavern of Madness"

"Like I don´t like the sound of that" Shaggy goes on eating much to Isman´s delight.

"Is very dangerous to touch it because it can drive you insane, transform you over and over, trap your soul... They bring it here to study it but it should never leave the walls of the cave"

"How did you know about the disk and Mr. E?" asks Fred.

"I know everything about you, my fair children. Your dreams, your fears, everything. And I can tell you that something is about to happen and it has to do with the disk, your mysterious friend and... the Never Land"

"Oh-oh" Shaggy gulps.

"We got a note at the Fireflies Festival about it but never knew who deliver it. We thought that mystery of the ship was over"

"Over?" Isman guffaws. "Is never over, my dears. That terrible curse you have heard about is nothing compare to this one. The Conquistadors and many others discovered it too late but perhaps you can still save yourselves" big swallow. The gang then sees the captain and Mr. Zimmer coming in again and they are led through the corridors towards the exit but in the air, they hear Isman´s voice twitting. "The game is on"

SSSSSSSSSSSSS

"Like, that guy gives me the creeps" Shaggy sighs.

"We all agree on that but what is more strange is what did he mean with all that?" the girls wait until the sailors give them way to the main deck and thus to the Mystery Machine. "And we found nothing about the disk nor Mr. E" they all look down when suddenly the light go out. "Jinkies!"

"What´s going on?"

"SHOICK! Maybe the ship is haunted after all" Shag grabs Scooby in his arms when he suddenly hears his stomach making real weird sounds.

"What´s happening?" Daphne can hear the sailors screaming and running. The door before them opens and lurking figure with a pale face, with long horns on his head and clawed hands appears before them.

"Like, I hate to say this, but we have a monster here!"

"Me prefer Freak" speaks in a rough childish way and jumps to get them. The gang runs for it and scatter around the ship. Their screams are heard by E who is just talking with Isman.

"Ah, our old friend is here"

"..." Ricky gulps.

"The Freak is here. And the game is on"

SSSSSSSSSSSSs

Scooby and Shaggy run for it. They have the Freak right after them and the young man´s stomach is acting funny as it could talk or something. They reached one of the gangways over the containers when suddenly Shaggy feels strange. His mind is spinning and he starts to feel cheerful, overcome by a weird joy while his body shakes like jelly. The Freak stops dead before them.

"Well, like, look at yourself! Ye look like a goat" the young man sniggers like if he was drunk. "Did you ever eat?"

"Rhaggy, we gotta ro!" Scooby pulls from him trying to got away.

"(Laughs) And ye, dog! So big and so fat!" Shaggy is seeing everything distorted, something is causing him to hallucinate. The Dane frowns as Shaggy keeps saying nonsense and laughing like crazy.

"Enough!" the Freak gets ready to strike. Scooby pulls from his friend´s shirt and they reach the other side of the gangway in time to close the door in the monster´s face.

"Ha! Reat that" the dog smiles. What Scoob has not notice is that behind him, the youngster is changing, transforming. Shaggy´s nose begins to grow freakishly large while his body shakes and turns like crazy. His stomach is cramping in pain and the heart keeps on racing. The youngster closes his eyes and when he opens them, with horror that his arms have turned into a bat´s wings and in just seconds that he´s suddenly enlarged like a balloon, and almost turned into an elephant. In just seconds, he becomes as thin as a stamp but with each single movement, into a cow, then a monkey, fat like a sand bag, liquid, pure air, a thunder. Scooby sees all this in sheer terror. Shaggy explodes into parts that turn into smoke that gathers together and makes the boy appear as large as a house.

"Look, Scoob, now I´m tallest!" he´s still under the spell while his middle part becomes longer transforming him into a snake and next, a dinosaur before exploding again into smoke. The dog whimpers and breathes hard, unintentionally breathing Shaggy in. Realizing what he has done, Scoob tries to breathe him out when he also starts to feel dizzy, joyful, drunken like and his body starts to change. He transforms into a cat, a pizza, a horse and then into a goo from which both friends emerge. Before they can say a thing, the boy and the dog dissolve, exchange and emerge.

Flash.

Shaggy is now of the same size as a mouse while Scooby is as big as an elephant and looks at the boy as he is really hungry. They both run through the corridors of the ship but Shag does not get far and ends up captured by the dog. Flash. Now Shaggy is the biggest and puts the Dane inside his mouth. Flash. The man cannot have an animal in his mouth of the size of a cow. They both dissolve and mix together. Flash. Scooby tries to get away, only to find his head where his tail is. Flash. Now he has no head. Another flash, and he´s turned into a sheet that Shaggy eats up with a single bite before becoming smoke.

The young man opens his eyes and all seems normal. Flash. His body is now all misplaced. Flash. He´s back to normal or not? A discharge runs through his body and a furry tail appears on his back before becoming a full Scooby looking werewolf. Another flash. Scooby reappears and the boy swallows again the dog whole. When he burps, the Dane as a sheet comes out and Shaggy grabs it but not before it becomes goo and traps him too.

Pericles has been watching this whole scene and decides to take advantage of this events when he sees Shaggy getting turned into jelly, swelling up and exploding. Scooby tries again to run while the young man again enlarges to the size of a house. The parrot flies towards the giant, and gets his attention. The Great Dane is able to escape while the bird lets Shaggy shallow him. Pericles has noticed that somehow, the young sleuth has gotten some of the Galskap goo into his stomach and perhaps he can use it for his own purpose. The young man shakes and changes until he almost looks normal again. Shaggy still feels a bit dizzy but at least he is back to himself, but what he does not notice is that one of his eyes is now green coloured.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Velma, Daphne and Fred finally get to the main deck where Scooby finds them and tries to tell them what has just happened. The three youngsters don´t get much since the dog speaks too fast but the talking is over when Shaggy appears through one of the doors. Seeing that there is nothing wrong, they ignore the dog. Scooby is happy to see that his best friend is back but when he smells something funny, he steps back. Something is not quite right.

"Like, perhaps he´s still scared about what happened. Anyway, I think we can go home now"

"I agree. We better leave at once. This has been a rough night" they all head for the Mystery Machine when suddenly, Shaggy feels something taking over his mind and he walks to one of the doors where the Freak (Mayor Jones) is hiding.

"I thought we were going to catch Owens"

"And ve vill" sounds the voice of Pericles voice through Shaggy´s lips. "Vut I haf gotten my claws into somethink better. Vait for my call, and you´ll see"

"Why are you looking like that pizza eater boy?"

"Dat is part of vhat I haf discovered. Just wait and ve vill not just destroy our enemies vut also rule this world"

"Very well. But don´t take too long"

"I von´t" he heads for the Mystery Machine where Shaggy is again back to his senses and they drive home. Scooby stays away from the sleuth and when they get home, the dog sleeps in the sofa. "I wonder what´s gotten into him" the boy goes to sleep. Scooby is scared. Why is Shaggy acting this way? Why does he smell funny? The dog then hears sounds from his stomach. Something bad is inside Rhaggy and only one person can know what it is. That strange guy, Isman. Or perhaps, Mr. E. After all, he does know things about Destroido. And if the gang does not believe him, it is all up to him.

* * *

A very intense chapter, Buff! My fingers are hurting. Today I give you two because I´m in a good mood, huhuhu! XD

Poor Shaggy! Poor Scooby!

Will they be able to cure the skinny sleuth?

What is Pericles up to?

What is the goo? Is Scooby also infected?

What does it have to do with the Never Land?

Who is really this Isman guy?

And Ricky?

Next clue: Path of Sinners


	3. Path of Sinners

Author´s note: This is one WEIRD fic, I admit it but Scooby will now get someone to help him solve this mystery and save his friend. One thing, am I the only one who has noticed that in "Wrath of the Krampus", when Velma shows the Nibiru prediction, the X Planet creatures are exactly four with a "pet" on the picture? Does the curse have something to do with that? Only the show makers can answer that. Song belongs to the film Brave.

* * *

**3. Path of Sinners**

Scooby leaves the house seeing that everyone´s sleep and goes to find either Mr. E or that weirdo Isman but not all the people inside the Rogers house is snoring. Pericles is wide awake and takes over since Shaggy is deeply asleep. For the bird is pretty hard since the goo is confounding his mind but he´s able to make the boy get dressed and head for the centre of Crystal Cove. Pericles said that he would help Jones capture Ricky but not a thing about the treasure or such. This is his chance to get revenge on the town that treat him like dirt. But the goo reacts according to its own wishes and the first thing that happens is that Shaggy´s skin begins to change from green to blue with spots and so on until he lets out a big belch of smoke. A large crocodile grows in his back while the parrot tries to put his thoughts in order. When it seems that he has succeeded, Shaggy turns into a large lion and roams the streets scaring everybody away until he sees something to eat on a cafeteria. Pericles snorts. This youngster is all stomach. This thought comes in the very same moment that the lion gulps so in that very instant, Shaggy gets back to his appearance with a giggle when suddenly, the goo makes a large mouth appear in his abdomen. Pericles glees. Perhaps is not such a bad thing. With just one bite, tables, chairs and other elements end up inside the new mouth while the parrot thinks in new improvements.

What he does not notice is Isman watching the whole thing with a smile. When he does see him, Pericles speaks through the belly.

"Vell, vell. I zot you vere still in de ship"

"I´m a free spirit. And by the way, you should by careful with the goo. Now is fun, but it can only bring trouble"

"I am too smart to lose against a pool of mucus"

"If you say so, but I´ll be waiting. And when the moment comes, you´ll have to plead" the man walks away. Pericles thinks of eating the man but for some reason unknown the goo refuses and they have to let him go. A sudden smell strikes his senses. Scooby Doo is coming. "If I can´t haf dat man, I´ll haf de dog"

SSSSSSSSSSSSS

Scooby sighs and sits down. No sign of Isman or Mr. E. He´s just walking in circles all around and the noises of his stomach are getting worse which can only mean that he´s also with that thing inside. The dog whimpers, he does not want to transform into anything. With a sigh, he scratches behind his ears, touching somehow the collar that Shogun gave him back in the festival. The device sends a signal to the WAAT office and they send an agent to help Scooby while he glances around the street.

"Rhaggy..." he cries. Pericles walks towards the dog while the features of the young man change again, leaving only the new mouth untouched. "Ri want my Raggy back"

"Oh, vhy so sad, puppy?" says a voice that Scooby knows too well. Behind the dog, there is now a strange bird man with two mouths, one in the head and another in his stomach. "Perhaps I can help you"

"Pericles" the Dane growls.

"Now, now, hund. I haf plenty of ideas of vhat to do vith you and they all take just one thing" from the large mouth, comes out a tongue and licks the border. Scooby whimpers and walks back while the monster gets closer. The dog feels his stomach cramping, he´s about to transform too when suddenly, something attacks the were bird and saves Scooby who sees with great joy that it is his hero and friend.

"There´s no need to fear, Mr. Shogun´s here!" says the cat and the Dane relaxes. "You are in one big fuss, man. You should have called earlier"

"Ri´m rorry" the bird is going to strike again so the feline gets him hit a few times before getting into an abandoned stock where a Beagle is waiting for them. Scooby whimpers as his stomach is going at it again but Shogun "Cait" is much faster.

"Milo, grab him" the smaller dog holds the Dane down while the cat takes out a strange bottle that seems to have a strange smoke inside and pours it into Scooby´s mouth. A sudden pain takes over Scooby who coughs hard throwing out a weird coloured goo thatShogun traps inside a jar. "Here we are. Better now?"

"..." Scooby feels his stomach a bit uneasy but the pain is gone and the weird feeling with it. He´s cured! "Reah! Rhank you!"

"Be my guest. Mist Juice always works with that stuff. Oh, this is Milo. Works in the WAAT with me"

"What´s up, dog?" he has a nice young voice (Pretty much like Maguire in Cats & Dogs as Lou).

"Oh, Raggy! Raggy, he..." Scooby tries to explain.

"Ok, ok. Slowly, please" both agents hear the story. "And just met Isman? Good Tuna! That guy is trouble. Not bad but cannot be trusted" they listen to the end. "I see. Well, from what I can tell, Shaggy´s got some Gaskalp goo inside and is acting weird, too weird. And the Freak was not there by accident nor was that message sent"

"Rhat do we do?"

"Well..." the monster is trying to get in. "First, let´s do a change of scenario. I hate talking about business with crowd around. Hope you´re feeling ok. Milo, please"

"Please, put your paws against your body and relax" the Dane thinks that the Beagle is just an ordinary agent, a yes dog. When Pericles is about to catch them, Milo puts his paw on a hidden panel and the tree disappear through a scuttle concealed on the floor that leads them to a gigantic slide. At first, Scooby screams but after a few seconds, he remembers Merche´s rule "Go with the flow" and lies totally down letting the slide carry him down. Shogun is actually in a comfy position and Milo lets his tongue out.

After many slopes and spinnings, they reach a base hidden many miles away from Crystal Cove and all other human cities. The landing is on a soft pad in a large room where all the different slides meet. Scooby is breathless. A large door stands before them. He feels quite dizzy after such long ride but follows the other two. Shogun sits down before the paw scanner.

"You said you wanted to be an agente. Well, now it is for real. You are about to experience something that no man and very little animals have seen" he smiles and after pressing a few buttons, a well dressed parrot appears on screen.

"Good evening, Doctor. Please identify your companions"

"Agent Milo and Roocky agent, Scooby Dooby Doo" speaks the feline and a small camera examines the two other animals.

"Identities confirmed. Please put your paw on the scanner" Shogun does so. "Identification complete. Please come in" the door opens and they walk inside. The Dane goes breathless. James Bond, you have just got owned! Shave me and call me a poodle, this is AWESOME! An international agency of animals! There are all kinds of creatures working here. If the circus was cool, this one´s outstanding!

"Roly Snoopy!" the large dog is beaming.

"Told you. Now be good and DON´T disturbe anyone"

"Roger that" Scooby nods while Milo goes to his chores and Shogun takes him with a large Kandal Dog (big Turkish breed).

"Afternoon, doc. Who´s the newbie?"

"Rooby Doo"

"Scooby Doo? The mystery mutt?"

"Ruh, yeah"

"Grow up" wow! Tough guy.

"This is Montblanc, one of our best agents. Mont, this guy now works with us" speaks the cat.

"You´ll need a partner for him and one pretty stupid to work with him"

"Oh, that´s easy. I´m barking at him right now" smiles Shogun staring at Montblanc. "Woof"

"Blessed bones. All right, I´ll watch over this food muncher"

"I suggest you guys start getting along and go see the superintendent now. He just got to his office. I´ll talk with you later on" the feline walks away. "Oh, and go see Keats!"

"Try not to slobber too much, pup boy. The CS will hate you if you do. Now follow me and don´t pee around" they walk through the corridors. "OK. Things you need to know about WAAT" Montblanc gets to an upper level from which they can see the main core of the HQ. "In this agency, ALL animals are welcome to join in as we take the motto all animals are equal very seriously here. We serve justice, freedom and rightfulness. Our leader, Doctor Jones, is the only member with permission to talk with the two legs about our work and such. Since you talk with your humans, you must remember that they must never get to know about our existence. Only a few furless are aware of us and help us. Our job is very important but important are our partners. No dog eats dog, got that?"

"Ri"

"Good. Our duty is to help humans, animals and Mother Nature. No political affiliations allowed. We live with danger as our bed mate, the sooner you get this, the more you´ll live"

"Ru... Ri live with Rhaggy"

"I know and because of that, you must keep it secret. Is your task to keep your humans safe after all. Many here have no owner so watch your mouth, pup" he stops. This is the place. "Here we are. Superintendent´s office"

"Cool. Ruh, rhat´s a superdintent?"

"(Sigh) Second-in-command. Ah. To tell the truth, this guy started from zero just like you but finally got here. Used to be my partner but at least, we´re still good friends"

"Woof" Scooby is getting to like more and more this place.

"Enter"

"Let´s go, kid" they walk forward and the door opens revealing a nice office with a large window, screens, computer and, yes! COUCH! "Hey, hey!"

"OFF THE COUCH! Off now!" says a voice from the desk and Scooby sees with obvious surprise that Milo is the superintendent. The Dane jumps to the ground. "I know you´re tired, but you´re all dirty, mate" too true.

"He can´t help it. Large dogs like big pads" says Monti.

"That I guess but we will find you somewhere else to sleep. Now I need you to listen"

"Roger" nods Scooby.

"OK, so here´s the plot of our drama. Today a cargo of Galskap goo has arrived to Crystal Cove and according to what you have told us, Mr. Rogers got himself infected so we must hurry and give him an antidote. Also, our spies had warned us that the bird known as Pericles has made an alliance with Mayor Jones. And before you say anything, Fred´s, uh, dad has his own dark issues. We know they are after someone called Mr. E and that they are planning to get the goo and capture this person. Your mission is to prevent this from happening"

"Rand the gang?"

"They´ll be fine, chew toy" says Monti.

"I´m not so sure about that, Mont. This fiend we saw in town was no other than Mr. Rogers"

"Rhaggy?!" Scooby gets terribly depressed.

"We have to tell you, big guy. Is tough but you must know that you´re friend is not just infected but can also be dangerous towards the rest of the team if this goes on"

"Ret´s go and rave...!"

"Easy there, Spot. We need a plan" oops, it´s true.

"Mist Juice works with the goo but it won´t be easy. We will contact Monsieur Noir to transport the remaining tanks but one little portion of it is enough to cause havoc"

"Then we need a big plan cuz we have a big problem"

"We will see but now, Mr. Doo needs a bed. The gang will miss you but I think you agree that this is far too important"

"Res, ri´ll stay" he understands perfectly.

"What worries me is that the cargo is sent by Harland Simmons" Milo reads his notes.

"Rho?"

"Simmons is a millionaire bank president but also a hermit who leaves hidden somewhere around. A few years ago, he helped the owner of Destroido build the company by becoming its share-holder but that is not all. We also know that he was once an Alcatraz inmate and later in Steel Rock" oh, bones! So Mr. Zimmer´s boss was a criminal? Shoicks! "He lives isolated from the world. And Mr. Zimmer is not to be trusted either" this gets better and better. "But I think you should rest now, Scoob. It´s been a long night and some sleep might do the trick. I know you want to ask about Mr. E but that will have to wait"

Mont leads him to the resting area and once on his own place, Scooby sighs. Why did everything have to go this way? Does Doctor Jones know something about Mr. E? And Shaggy? Why is he acting like this? The dog turns off the light.

"Hey, wait" says a female voice. In the next box, there´s a girl otter. "Am sorry, is just that I´m afraid of the dark"

"Rouh, sorrry"

"Is OK. My name´s Alice, by the way"

"Scooby Doo" they shake paws.

"Hey, you are the dog that solves mysteries. How cool is that"

"Rit´s nothing"

"No, really, is awesome. Frey is all day talking about that. He´s quite a pain but you absolutely rock"

"Rho´s frey?"

"Hedgehog, friki class. Knows all tv shows, comics, heroes and stuff like that. Good guy but a bit of a pain sometimes" Alice smiles. "Hu. Mind if I sleep with you? Maybe if I do, I won´t go all nuts"

"Rokey" he lets her curl against him.

"Thank you so much. I really need this" she breathes in and falls asleep in just seconds while Scooby looks at her and smiles with his thoughts still set on Shaggy.

"_This love it is a distant star,_

_Guiding us home wherever we are.  
This love it is a burning sun,_

_Shining a light on the things that we've done.  
I tried to speak to you every day,_

_but each word we spoke the wind blew away.  
Could these walls come crumbling down?_

_I want to feel my feet on the ground,  
And leave behind this prison we share._

_Step into the open air.  
How did we let it come to this?_

_What we've just tasted we somehow still miss.  
How will it feel when this day is done?_

_And can we keep what we've only begun?  
And now these walls come crumbling down,_

_And I can feel my feet on the ground.  
Can we carry this love that we share?  
Into the open air.  
Into the open air (into the open air).  
Into the open air.  
This love it is a burning sun_."

Meanwhile, Pericles is deciding a way to get rid of the gang and of Ricky and Cassidy. His main problem in getting into Destroido without being noticed, or perhaps how to drag Owens out of his lair and perhaps Jones can be useful with that.

* * *

Alice, who seems pretty shy and lovely has a terrible secret. XD You´ll see.

Pericles is plotting and Scooby has to find a way to save his friends.

And what did Isman mean with his warning?

Next Clue: Norns Ivory Horse


	4. Norns Ivory Horse

Author´s note: I will need a bit of help with my version of "All Fear the Freak" so suggestion season is officially open. Go move on with the gang and Pericles, who is up to no good while Scooby comes to know a bit more of doctor Jones "DJ" and the old Mystery Incorporated.

Song belongs to Within Temptation.

* * *

**4. Norns Ivory Horse**

Shaggy wakes up in his bed and finds it strange since he´s fully dressed and tired like a... Wait! Where´s Scoob? Is he still mad at him? The young man sighs and goes to the sofa where the Dane was sleeping, where they have seen so many Van Ghoul shows together. Is about what happen on the ship? Something about Velma trying again to get his affection back? There´s no one in the room. Shaggy sighs with defeat. Velma once said that he had to stick more to the human kind but, Scooby is like a brother to him. And he doesn´t normally get so mad to run away, not even when they argued during the Hex Girls concert.

"Mornin´"he sits to eat with his parents.

"Are you ill? You are hardly eating" Paula checks on his son.

"No, no. I´m fine. Is just that... Nothing"

"Is about Scoobert, right?" Colton is not silly. "Is a dog, Norville. Nothing else. Not human, that is something you must understand"

"Like, he´s like a brother to me. Always there when I need him. And yesterday, I dunno what happen that he was... scared of me"

"Is a dog, honey. He´s all nose and stomach. He´ll be back for lunch, you´ll see" Mrs. Rogers says. "You should talk with the Dinkley girl and make it up to her"

"…" Shaggy does not answer. Pericles is listening to everything. "Well, maybe you´re right and Scooby´s a dog, because is what he is but he´s my best buddy and if I have done something to ´im, I want to know what it is and fix it"

"Norville..."

"Is what friends do, they forgive each other. And Scoob´s my best pal and brother. I won´t leave him" he gets ready for class. Paula is about to talk but Colton for the first time, stops her. "I know I hurt Velma and I didn´t do what I had to, maybe. But I won´t let Scoob down"

"..." the Rogers can tell that somehow, Shaggy has grown up in these last minutes. Before the boy leaves, Colton notices something strange nevertheless. "Uh, Norville"

"Like, wha?"

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, sure"

"Did you hit your eyes or something?"

"Uh, like no. Why?"

"Well, uh. One of your eyes is like green coloured. But maybe is just some dust. Take care, son"

"You guys too" the Mystery Machine is here.

SD

Pericles wonders to himself. Shaggy gives everything for Scoobert. Is his best friend and unlike Ricky, he choose his dog over a girl. Now that´s interesting. He´s not like that two-faced traitor of Owens. Shaggy does care about his pet. Perhaps he can spare the boy when the time comes and even try making him his ally. That would be profitable, for both. But now, he needs to focus. His plan is ready, Jones is ready and will take care of Angel while he deals with the kinder. And to do so, he knows just what he needs.

SD

Scooby wakes up at WAAT headquarters and is led by Montblanc to DJ´s office, the head of the organization´s place. Much to the dog´s surprise, is a bit like E´s lair with all the screens, computer and such but with a lot more light and not so claustrophobic. DJ always keeps his face hidden but the black handkerchief around his neck is unmistakable.

"Morning, sleepy head. Have a sit" DJ offers him the sofa while he remains on the chair.

"Ru are Doctor Jones"

"That´s right" is hard to tell if he´s a dog or a cat but Scooby does not care right now. "DJ for my friends that is. Well, let´s see. You have your assignment and your team almost ready. Now, is question time"

"Ruh... Ro do you know rho´s Mr. E?" is not like Scooby does not remember when they stood on the bridge in the nest and the man cried because he got shot, or during the festival, when he took him in after Lugh´s attack, but the dog wants to be sure.

"OK. First, before I answer, I want you to promise me that you won´t go mad when I tell you"

"Rokey" nods Scooby.

"And second, that you won´t tell the gang. Even if they find it out, you must act as you were surprised. I ask you this because two lives depend on this"

"Ri romise" the dog crosses his heart.

"Ok, let´s see" DJ takes out two photos. One of the old MI and another of Scooby´s group. "Let´s put it like this. Brad Chiles, leader and trap fiend, was the Fred of this team. We can easily say that. Second, Judy Reeves, lovely girl back then, was Daphne and in love with Mr. Blondie" this makes Scoob snigger. "But none of them is Mr. E cuz they are both out of town" that has sense. "Cassidy Williams, the brains, the Velma of the team, and now called Angel Dynamitte" now that is unexpected. Angel is not Angel? The dog remembers his promise but is now full of doubts. "Professor Pericles, mascot and second brains of the team, and traitor" somehow the Dane knows it has sense after seeing that feather fiend during Aphrodite´s curse. "This bird is right now loose and is the one making Shaggy act strange" Scoob growls. That parrot is going to get owned. "And finally, Ricky Owens, the Shaggy of those days and Pericles owner and best friend. Also known as... Mr. E"

"Ro, Ricky ris rister E?"

"That´s right. His intentions are unclear but he´s at war with the parrot and the mayor"

"Red´s dad?"

"Mai oui, monsieur. Our good friend, Mr. Jones Sir has a role in here"

"Rhat role?"

"Remember that horny thing you saw on the ship?" oh, bones!

"Rit... Rit..."

"It was the Mayor in disguise. Twenty years ago, he met the old gang and heard about their search of the treasure. When he noticed that Pericles knew about it, they plotted together and lure the kids out of town" this is even worse than Angel hiding her identity all along. "Ricky´s back as Mr. E and Cassidy too. She wants to help you, with all her heart, keep you safe. But Ricky, that´s another story" Scooby then remembers things that happen during the nest issue. _Someone has poisoned a very good friend of mine... A friend who´s ill, a good friend she said… Am that friend… I´m so sorry bout all this, Scoob. But he asked me so much that he wanted to talk to you that there was no other way... We must find him and quick! He might die if we don´t hurry... But E needs you now. He´s heading for the vaults... I was hoping to see that place someday… I know that I have already asked too much… No matter what happens, the mystery of Crystal Cove must be solved... That´s a good dog, and a good friend... Like you once said, rhat´s rit... Nonsense. You... You are part of the team!... That is all I give. Clues, riddles... Nothing..._

The great Dane glances at the trio of Cassidy, Ricky and Pericles. Somehow he senses the tragedy between them and understands now why Angel works for the man. She once loved him and he loved her, and probably Pericles, like him with Velma, got caught in the middle. Their love probably died. But from all the things he has heard from Mr. E and Cass perhaps not all is lost.

"_My hope is on fire_

_My dreams are for sale_

_I dance on a wire_

_I don't want to fail her_

_I walk against the stream_

_Far from what I believe in_

_I run towards towards the end_

_Trying not to give in_

_She's lost in the darkness_

_Fading away_

_I'm still around here_

_Screaming her name_

_She's haunting my dreamworld_

_Trying to survive_

_My heart is frozen_

_I'm losing my mind_

_Help me, I'm buried alive_

_Buried alive_

_I'm burning the bridges_

_And there's no return_

_I'm trying to reach her_

_I feel that she yearns_

_I walk against the stream_

_Far from what I believe in_

_I run towards towards the end_

_Trying not to give in_

_She's lost in the darkness_

_Fading away_

_I'm still around here_

_Screaming her name_

_She's haunting my dreamworld_

_Trying to survive_

_My heart is frozen_

_I'm losing my mind_

_Help me, I'm buried alive_

_Buried alive_

_I tried to revive what's already drowned_

_They think I'm a fool_

_Can't realise,_

_Hope plays a wicked game with the mind_

_'Cause I thought that love would bind_

_I cannot revive what's already drowned_

_She won't come around_

_She's lost in the darkness_

_Fading away_

_I'm still around here_

_Screaming her name_

_She's haunting my dreamworld_

_Trying to survive_

_My heart is frozen_

_I'm losing my mind_

_Help me, I'm buried alive_

_Buried alive_"

Angel is giving her usual radio show. Last night, all she could do was watch from a safe distance because Ricky insisted over and over. Why would he act like that? She´s a grown girl now. And he? Gets into the ship, almost gets attacked or spotted or worse and she is the one who´s bad because she went to the deck. That man is getting cranky, too cranky for his own good!

Hmph. Hu? The lights of the K-Ghoul shiver and go out. What´s going on? The woman takes a bate from under her desk and walks to the resting room. There´s nobody here, is there? A clawed hand grabs her from behind and pins her against the wall. Cassidy goes white. Is the Freak! She tries her best to escape but a second hit against the wall knocks her out. The monster smiles to himself. Two down, four to go. Then he sees Cassidy´s phone on the floor and knows exactly what to do next.

* * *

OMG!

Sh*t getting real serious.

Poor Cassidy! What will the Freak do with her and Ricky?

And the gang?

Will Scooby make it on time?

Next clue: Scar´s Bleeding


	5. Scar s Bleeding

Author´s note: One hard chapter ahead. Hope it goes well. Little speaking and off we go!

* * *

**5. Scar´s Bleeding**

E´s quiet on his chair. Last night they almost got caught by the Freak and Machine has lost Scooby´s trace. Ricky thought about putting the formula with the Dane but now, after what happened inside the vessel and since Scoob is gone, all they can do is wait and perhaps, talk with Angel.

Ed Machine brings the phone but before they can even press the buttons, they see that someone´s calling. Is Angel herself! Perhaps she has heard about Scooby. Ricky does not wait for her to say a thing, he also wants to talk about what happened last night. There are so many things, E wants to talk with...

"Angel? Angel! Ang... Cass" no answer. That´s strange. There´s only a strange sound coming through as if someone is holding his breath or something. "Cassidy? It´s you?" why is she so quiet anyway? "It´s... It´s Ricky. Can you hear me?"

"… Ricky..." the voice that answers makes the man´s blood go frozen and his face goes white. That voice is... the FREAK! No.. no, no, NO! "Me find Ricky" E runs into a state of panic, of shock, he can´t move a single muscle nor speak.

"Sir" Ed touches his boss shoulder but is useless. "OK, you joke of a man, what do you want?"

"Me want Ricky" Machine glances at Owens who is seized by panic and spasms. "If Ricky wants girl back, come town hall sunset. Not come, girl dies" the phone goes out and the CEO grabs E´s shoulders.

"Sir, please. Get a hold of yourself" no answer. It must be a fit of panic. The shock is choking the man who seems totally out of this world. E does not answer and after a few seconds, passes away with his eyes open. Ed reacts in seconds. A heart attack! God, why did he have to be so careless? The man pushes the chest and does the CPR hoping that it works. "C´mon, you can do this! Sir! Richard!"

"_In this farewell_

_There's no blood_

_There's no alibi_

_'Cause I've drawn regret_

_From the truth_

_Of a thousand lies_

_Pre-Chorus:_

_So let mercy come_

_And wash away_

_What I've done_

_I'll face myself_

_To cross out what I've become_

_Erase myself_

_And let go of what I've done_

_Put to rest_

_What you thought of me_

_While I clean this slate_

_With the hands of uncertainty_

_[Pre-Chorus]_

_Chorus_

_For what I've done_

_I start again_

_And whatever pain may come_

_Today this ends_

_I'm forgiving what I've done!_

_Chorus_

_What I've done_

_Forgiving what I've done_"

SD

The gang is in class when the phone of Fred goes off. The teacher is quite crossed but seeing it is buzzing over and over, Fred lets the phone call in.

"Mystery Incorporated. If want to save friend from death, come to town hall at sunset" the voice is recognized by all of them. IS THE MONSTER ON THE SHIP! The whole class starts talking while the gang exchanges glances. After class, they all gather in the front door. They all looked shocked.

"A friend in danger?"

"Like, what if they got Scoob?"

"I dunno. But whoever it is, we can let him in the hands of that thing. We must hurry and come up with a plan"

"Like, what plan? That thing has Scooby!"

"Shaggy, we don´t know if it is him or not. We can´t tell. I know you´re worried, we are are but..."

"Hu?" this time is Velma´s phone. "Who could that be?"

"Yes?"

"Have you been called by the beast?" is the man they met after Aphrodite´s havoc. Mr. E´s henchman.

"Yes and he said that it had a friend trapped"

"And that you have to be at sunset in the town hall" adds the man.

"Yes, how did you knew that?" asks Daphne.

"Because he has told Mr. E the same thing"

"And like what did he say?"

"Nothing" answers Machine through the phone as the ambulance is carrying away Ricky to the hospital.

"Not good enough for him? Not his problem?" barks Velma.

"I did not say that. Mr. E said nothing because he couldn´t. He has had a heart attack" oh, mother! When Pericles hears that, he does not contain a grin.

"No kidding" the gang goes pale.

"He will be all right but I´m sure that he´s worried about you"

"Like, that thing has Scoob"

"No, it doesn´t" this makes Shaggy sigh with relief. "It has Angel" now that´s worse.

"But, like, why her?"

"That has no sense" says Fred.

"Yes it does. But now, all we can do is face the creature and rescue her"

"What bout Scooby?" Shag speaks again.

"I´m sure he´s all right. He always comes through. I´ll see to Mr. E while you came up with a plan and please, be quick about it"

"Perfect" Pericles grins. Everything is going perfect. Jones has captured Cassidy and although Ricky´s fainting is unexpected, they are now alone to deal with the kinder and afterwards, they will go for Ricky. And now, knowing their plans, he will easily erase the gang from the board.

SD

DJ is still talking with Scooby when a noisy alarm goes off. The commander presses the buttons and one of his pigeons in town reports.

"Sir, we got a situation"

"Define that, Seamus"

"Freak´s got the dj, E´s in hospital with a heart attack and the gang is heading for a trap"

"I just luv good news, don´t ye?"

"Rangel in ranger? Re´s rospital? Rang..."

"He just said that. OK, people. Code Red. We will look for Isman later. We got a pair of crooks to kick butt" end of the transmission. "Scoob, man. This is boogie time!"

* * *

Oops.

Things have suddenly gotten worse.

Now who will the save the gang?

Will Scoob make it on time?

What about Cassidy? And Ricky?

Next Clue: Burning Bridge


	6. Burning Bridge

Author´s Note: I know it´s butt kicking time but before that, we have an interesting chapter in between. Again, any suggestion for my version of All Fear the Freak is more than welcome cuz I´m working hard to make it so that we don´t get the same ending or things (and maybe my ending isn´t happy XD Man, I´m mean!). The song is called Lisa Lân and is a traditional Welsh song (very sad one) that appears in the film Crash in a wonderful version that really suits this episode.

Enjoy!

* * *

**6. Burning Bridge**

Scooby runs to the labs where the computer whiz Keats gives him the equipment to save his friends but when the dog gets to the door of the laboratory, ready to take down an army, he faces a large black beast standing on his hind legs and with a large scar on his face. In its hand, a nagitaka that shines likes his sharp teeth.

"You must be that pooch who works for the bratts" his voice is deep and sarcastic.

"Ry name ris Scooby Doo"

"Whatever, dog. My master wants to see you before you leave PRONTO" he motions him to follow and the Dane follows until they reach the armory and powder keg. "Sir, here he is" Scooby notices then a strange looking peacock. A mixture between a Silver Pheasant and a Java white peafowl with a red handkerchief around his neck that smiles gently when he sees the dog.

"Well done, Ju. Now leave us" his voice is pleasant, almost nice but there´s something cold in it that Scooby can figure out. "So, my canine friend. You have joined the WAAT to save your friends and of course, get that... son of a b... parrot. (Sniggers) Oh, my most humble apologies, my brave fellow. My name is Sung. An honour to meet such wonderful and famous detective"

"Reasure is mine"

"Not at all my friend. Well, since you are here with us, I would like to serve you any way I can, anything you need just ask me. Anything to please my favourite sleuth" smiles the peafowl.

"Rhuu..." his stomach growls.

"Oh, how rude of me. I´ll fix it right away" smiles the bird. "Ju!" the black wolf comes back.

"Yes, your Whiteness?"

"Bring some food for our dear Mr. Doo. He´s starving"

"Yes, sir" snorts the beast and walks away.

"Rude but very effective. Never mind his comments, dear one. Now, how else can I help you?"

"Ruh, well..." Scooby tells him the whole thing.

"Oh, is that it? Fear not, my loyal friend, your friends have nothing to fear. I shall help you in this crusade" they see Ju comes back with a big bowl that the Dane empties up in just seconds. "Good appetite you got there, Mr. Doo. DJ will send you now to the streets but fear not because I shall be beside you. And when I get my-I mean-when we get our hands on that parrot, you shall be victorious" smiles the bird and Scooby walks away, happy because he has found a new ally.

"You should know that Sung has no friends" says and elderly voice that the Dane recognises at once. Is the soothsayer. "He offers you everything but in exchange he will ask you for things you love or that you want"

"Ru here?"

"Yes, I come here from time to time to help the good doctor. And I see you haven´t made much progress apart from meeting Fenrir" this makes the dog look down. "Do you fear him?" the Dane nods. "You do well but you shouldn´t"

"Rhy not? Re´s a monster"

"Is just part of you, of what you are. Something you cannot leave behind"

"Ro! Ro! Rand Ro!"

"Why are you so afraid of him? Because your friends are scared of him too and they might kick you out?" no answer needed. "The world needs Fenrir, Scooby Doo. Light needs darkness, like you need your Shaggy. You need this part of yourself to subdue Pericles"

"Rubdue?"

"Yes, subdue. Not kill, just defeat him because there´s no need of blood spilling. That bird has a fire inside that he does not know, does not tame and that in the end, it will destroy him. You need Fenrir to understand why did that parrot became what he is so you can change fate. You have to burn the bridge you have already crossed, Scooby Doo. You cannot live forever thinking that you are all pure and innocent because if you do, Fenrir will break you. But if you try to understand, to see things other way, you will realize how special and important you are to the people around you and maybe, the way to stop this spiral of death and darkness will come to you. But to do so, you must first accept Fenrir and flow with your memories, young one" their eyes meet. "You have lost many on your way here, even if you don´t remember them. It´s time now to remember so you can burn the bridge and walk on your own"

"_Bûm yn dy garu lawer gwaith_

_Do lawer awr mewn mwynder maith_

_Bûm yn dy gusanu Lisa gêl_

_Yr oedd dy gwmni'n well na'r mêl._

_Fy nghangen lân, fy nghowlad glyd_

_Tydi yw'r lanaf yn y byd_

_Tydi sy'n peri poen a chri_

_A thi sy'n dwyn fy mywyd i._

_Pan fyddai'n rhodio gyda'r dydd_

_Fy nghalon fach sy'n mynd yn brudd_

_Wrth glywed sŵn yr adar mân_

_Daw hiraeth mawr am Lisa Lân._

_Pan fyddai'n rhodio gyda'r hwyr_

_Fy nghalon fach a dôdd fel cwyr_

_Wrth glywed sŵn yr adar mân_

_Daw hiraeth mawr am Lisa lân._

_Lisa, a ddoi di i'm danfon i_

_I roi fy nghorff mewn daear ddu?_

_Gobeithio doi di, f'annwyl ffrind_

_Hyd lan y bedd, lle'r wyf yn mynd._

_Hiraeth mawr am Lisa Lân._

_Hiraeth mawr am Lisa Lân._"

Scooby looks down. He does not want to leave Shaggy nor the gang, Mr. E, Angel...

"Rhi..."

"Their lives are they own concern, child. You are their friend and that will never change but you must now focus in this task. A hard one, the first step is always the longest but you must succeed so that your loved ones can still be there when you need them most"

"Ri´m scared"

"You would be a fool if you weren´t but you will never be alone in this. Remember what I told you at the festival. The difference between being or not is that when tragedy strikes, cuz it will, your friends can either be alone against it and be defeated, or else have you and have a chance. It is a matter of being at the right moment in the right place. I also said that the mystery of this town has to do with a blood debt, a tragedy of long ago that you must find out and that in your past were all your answers. You are a brave one, Scooby Doo, you just don´t know it. Mr. E does not either that what he wants is right before him. And it must be you, my friend, who tells him so. Only then that man can find peace. Not in treasures nor in curses or revenge but in the present. In burning the bridges behind us. No matter what you find in the past, perhaps your story may not have such a happy beginning, but that doesn't make you who you are. It is the rest of your story, who you choose to be... Remember that, and your path will be revealed" the antelope smiles. "Now, go save your friends, my boy. And trust your heart, your courage, trust Fenrir, who you are, it will save your life" she walks away and Scooby stays silent where he is. Somehow, her words have opened something inside him that it was locked and now is starting to soar.

"_Bûm yn dy garu lawer gwaith_

_Do lawer awr mewn mwynder maith_

_Bûm yn dy gusanu Lisa gêl_

_Yr oedd dy gwmni'n well na'r mêl._

_Fy nghangen lân, fy nghowlad glyd_

_Tydi yw'r lanaf yn y byd_

_Tydi sy'n peri poen a chri_

_A thi sy'n dwyn fy mywyd i._

_Pan fyddai'n rhodio gyda'r dydd_

_Fy nghalon fach sy'n mynd yn brudd_

_Wrth glywed sŵn yr adar mân_

_Daw hiraeth mawr am Lisa Lân._

_Pan fyddai'n rhodio gyda'r hwyr_

_Fy nghalon fach a dôdd fel cwyr_

_Wrth glywed sŵn yr adar mân_

_Daw hiraeth mawr am Lisa lân._

_Lisa, a ddoi di i'm danfon i_

_I roi fy nghorff mewn daear ddu?_

_Gobeithio doi di, f'annwyl ffrind_

_Hyd lan y bedd, lle'r wyf yn mynd._

_Hiraeth mawr am Lisa Lân._

_Hiraeth mawr am Lisa Lân._"

* * *

A nice chapter (tearful too) after so much action, and before things get rough.

Again, what is hidden in Scooby´s past?

How can he accept Fenrir?

And what is Sung really up to?

Will he make it on time?

Next Clue: Missing Sight


	7. Missing Sight

Author´s Note: This fic is shorter than the two before but it´s a very intense one. Thank you so much, Izzy, for your help cuz I have made up my mind. My version of All Fear the Freak has now a complete script! YES! I promise lots of surprises and adventures to follow. And after that one and before its continuation (or prequel of A Voice from Beneath, we´ll see), I think I will write something more relaxed. I really need to do so. A bit like "First Frights".

Both songs belong to Tracy Chapman.

Let´s go!

* * *

**7. Missing Sight**

Seeing that they have a few hours before sunset, the gang heads for the K-Ghoul to find some clues about the disappearance of Angel. The place is a mess. Velma shallows hard, who could have done a thing like this? Then she remembers that she´s the only one of the gang that knows about Angel´s true identity. The girl promised the dj that Angel would be the one to tell the group but now is a hard moment to stay quiet about it.

"Gang. There is something I really need to talk to you"

"Like, couldn´t we just leave it for later? Scooby and Angel need us" for once, Shaggy is working hard in looking for clues (aside from when Scoob was framed).

"I know but it might explain a few things that are going on"

"Ok, Velma. What is it?" Fred glances at her.

"Remember the Fish Freaks case?"

"Like, yeah. Ernesto and his friends were the bad guys"

"Angel said that the whole oil thing appeared on the papers but the truth is that Destroido covered the whole story up"

"What do you mean?" Daphne glances at her.

"What I mean is that she lied to us, nobody could have known that except for those who were in Crystal Cove when that happened. And Cassidy´s diary have no seal like Daph noticed. Why? Because she had it all along. Angel is really Cassidy Williams, former member of the old Mystery Incorporated. Also, she might be working for Mr. E or so I think. Why else the monster would have phoned him to say that Cassidy had been kidnapped? And if you don´t believe me, she had an eight track equipment when Daphne was taken away, something very little people have right now"

"I hate to admit this but Velma has a point"

"So, she´s not our friend?"

"I dunno. Angel has helped us so much. If she´s really working for Mr. E, then why does she care so much about us? She helped us escape when Aphrodite stroke, always gave us advice when we needed, gave us her diary as a clue for the Darrow Mansion" the blond young man shocks his head.

"Still, she..."

"Like, I agree with Fred. Angel or Cassidy or whatever, is our friend. That is what I think at least. She was when we faced that nest thing and in the mystery of the festival"

"The best thing we can do now is ask her. And to so, we must save her" Fred says.

"Like, I agree" the whole gang nods. "Let´s kick that thing´s..." Shaggy´s stomach roars and he goes all red. "Sorry"

"Shaggy, you just eat"

"Like, I know but my stomach has been acting funny since we went on that ship"

"Acting funny?" Velma remembers that gestures and the thing Scooby was trying to tell them.

"Like, yeah. This morning I was tired like a dog"

"That´s weird" she goes quiet. "Hmmm. Say, Shaggy, why don´t you go call the sheriff and get yourself some food?"

"Like, that´s a great idea!" despite Pericles tries to make him change his mind, the young sleuth runs outside.

"Uh, Velm, why did you send him to do that?"

"Remember what Scooby was trying to tell us?"

"Uh, yes" Fred is clueless.

"He said that something was wrong with Shaggy. He spoke of a goo and weird things happening to him. Shag has been all morning acting strange and now, with his stomach roaring, I think that Scoob was right all along"

"So, Shaggy is..."

"Like possessed or something. He does not notice it of course but something´s not right and I rather if we plan this before he comes back so we have at least a chance to not get in trouble while rescuing Angel" the three smile. Velma is concerned about Shaggy and now that she has realized that Scooby was just trying to save them, her frown has softened. Perhaps she can make it up to the Dane.

"_If you wait for me_

_then I'll come for you_

_Although I've traveled far_

_I always hold a place for you in my heart_

_If you think of me_

_If you miss me once in awhile_

_Then I'll return to you_

_I'll return and fill that space in your heart_

_Remembering_

_Your touch_

_Your kiss_

_Your warm embrace_

_I'll find my way back to you_

_If you'll be waiting_

_If you dream of me_

_L like I dream of you_

_In a place that's warm and dark_

_In a place where I can feel the beating of your heart_

_Remembering_

_Your touch_

_Your kiss_

_Your warm embrace_

_I'll find my way back to you_

_If you'll be waiting_

_I've longed for you_

_A and I have desired_

_To see your face your smile_

_To be with you wherever you are_

_Remembering_

_Your touch_

_Your kiss_

_Your warm embrace_

_I'll find my way back to you_

_Please say you'll be waiting_

_Together again_

_It would feel so good to be_

_In your arms_

_Where all my journeys end_

_If you can make a promise_

_If it's one that you can keep_

_I vow to come for you_

_If you wait for me_

_And say you'll hold_

_A place for me_

_in your heart._"

Angel lies quiet on the dark ground. She can feel every single once of her body hurting like hell. The Freak has left her there as a bait for the gang. She thinks on Ricky, why is he not there? Why doesn´t he save her? Why is she always trying to think of him as her Prince Charming when he´s clearly something else? All he cares right now is the treasure and nothing else. Cassidy lets her tears flow. Trying to remember why did she fell in love with Ricky, that careless and shy boy appears to be suddenly turned into a shadow of the man he once was.

"_City lights lay out before us_

_And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder_

_And I had a feeling that I belonged_

_And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone_

_You got a fast car_

_But is it fast enough so you can fly away_

_You gotta make a decision_

_You leave tonight or live and die this way_"

Angel sighs and waits. Perhaps she´s mad bout doing so, but there is nothing else she can do now. Ricky...

* * *

I also thought about revealing Cassidy sooner or later when I remembered that Velma did know about her identity.

Poor Cassidy, she does not know that Ricky cannot save her this time.

What will the gang do now?

And Pericles?

Stay tunned!

Next Clue: Gambit


	8. Gambit

Author´s note: We move with one longer chapter and as always, thank you all for your reading, advice and support. In this chapter we shall get to know more things about the Never Land, Fenrir and perhaps, a peek on the next chapter. Huhuhuhuhu. You better pay a lot of attention.

Tally Ho!

* * *

**8. Gambit**

The Mystery Machine drives down the streets at sunset. The four members of the gang keep an eye on every corner of town. When the van finally stops, they all get down very slowly. Shaggy took his time to come back so the other three are more than aware that the monster might be expecting an ambush. While they wait, Velma notices the statue of the Never Land.

"Hey, gang! Take a look at this" they all get closer. "Is the ship that disappeared"

"And like, what´s this doing here?"

"I dunno" Fred touches the monument. "It was here before my dad became mayor. He told me once that these was found in the Dead Man´s Anchor"

"Weird" Shaggy gives a scared look to the mask.

"Hm" Velma is looking at the old canon. It has a unique shape, like a dragon´s head with his jaws all open as the canon´s mouth. It is then that she notices a peculiar engravement in the black metal. "Hey, guys. Look!" it is a strange symbol that is clearly not British and not american. "This canon did not belong to the Never Land"

"Then, to who?" Daphne stares at the symbol.

"According to my computer... It belonged to a ship called Goodsight that... Jinkies! That was a pirate vessel!" (Ha! Jack Bones old ship, remember?)

"PIRATES!"

"Like, then they were attacked by buccaneers"

"And also by the sea monster. Hm. Perhaps the Goodsight guarded the Nest and seeing that the Never Land was still heading the same direction, the eel attacked them"

"Then, this canon..."

"Perhaps it felt during one of their confrontations. Who knows"

"The Never Land" says an eerie voice and they find themselves facing the Freak.

"OK, you bozo. Where´s Angel?" Fred steps forward.

"(Sniggers)"

"We came just like you said, now where is she?"

"Where be disk?"

"Right here. Now take us to her" the blond man threatens and the fiend leads them through the streets until they reach on abandoned building. Once there, Fred gives the Freak the bag where he keeps the piece and they all go see Angel who´s lying on the ground. "You OK?"

"You came..." she smiles sadly. "U shouldn´t have give him that"

"Is all right, now come on" they help her up when suddenly, the freak closes the door with the key. "Hey, that..."

"You not come all"

"Like, what is he talking about?"

"Where is Ricky?"

"Ricky?" they all glance at each other.

"Where is Ricky?!" roars the Freak sounding more menacing.

"We don´t know"

"Lie"

"But..." mutters Daphne.

"Dey are tellink de truth" sounds Pericles voice out of no where. "Ricky is not goink to kome"

"What do ye mean?" grumbles Angel.

"Cassidy dear, your knight in shinink armour has ran avay. He has left you here to die"

"Now who´s the liar?" the woman frowns.

"Fine. If it suits you, mein lieb. Vut again, your dear Märchenprinzen is not comink to save de day"

"…" the dj goes quiet.

"Are you talking about Mr. E or Ricky Owens?" asks Daphne.

"Ve are talkink avout..."

"ENOUGH!" the Freak ties the gang. "No Ricky, no girl" much to the kids surprise, he only leaves Shaggy untied but for an unpleasant reason. When they look into the young man´s face they see Pericles bright green eye and scar while the rest gets covered by feathers.

"Why you..."

"Nice to see you all again, mein beloved kinder. As you can see now, I am usink your dear friend and the goo of Herr Simmons for my own purposes"

"You just wait" smiles Fred.

"For vhat? For your so prepared amvush? I think not" Pericles smiles. They can hear the sounds of Sheriff Stone and his men getting into action somewhere near by but not where they should be. "You zot you could veat me that easily? (Clicks his tongue) You haf underestimate me, and very much"

"But we..."

"Yes, Velma dear, you vere right about your frend actink veird and very clever sendink him avay vut I soon realized vhat vas your plan. In chess, dis is called gamvit. Sacrifice a pawn, gettink myself caught, fooled, to lure you all straight into my trap"

"Trap?!" oh, dear. Fred not now.

"Fred" the girls snapped back.

"Sorry"

"(Chuckle) You, Frederick, a trap fiend, could learn a thing or two from chess"

"And what is your plan now? Keep us here until you have all the pieces?"

"No, no, no, my kinder. That is vhat my dear Ricky vould do" this comment pisses Cassidy off. "I´m plannink somethink more special for you"

"Like what?"

"You´ll see in a moment" Pericles glances at the Freak. "Vring our guest some drinks, please. They´ll need dem"

"(Snigger)" the creature walks away.

"Vell, now dat dat is settled. Let me tell you, Cassidy dear, dat dey already know your little secret. And vill soon find out avout our dear Mr. E"

"…" long silence. "I´m sorry I didn´t told ye guys before but I was scared"

"Scared? Scared of what?" Fred glances at her. "We wouldn´t have hurt you or let anyone harm you"

"I know that, baby, but is not like that. My friends and I didn´t disappeared from Crystal Cove, we were obliged to leave by that thing with horns and this pathetic bird"

"What do you mean?" Velma blinks.

"We found a scroll back in the Spanish church and looking for the disk, went many times into the caves. One of those times, we met this beast, the Freak of Crystal Cove who told us to leave and stole from us the piece that we found. Pericles was in cahoots with him and they showed us documents that framed our families in terrible crimes. We had no choice but to leave town. I came back a few years ago as Angel Dynamitte with Mr. E´s help and we wanted justice to be done. But to do so, we... I had to hide my identity. That is why I was afraid. If my enemies would have find it out, not only me but you would be also in danger"

"So, you were protecting us the whole time?"

"That´s right, babe. I know I should have told you earlier but E asked me to wait. And now, here we are with the two crooks who ruined my life and my friends" the gang goes quiet. "I told Velma to let me tell you. So, if you have to be mad at someone..."

"We aren´t mad about you. If you really saved us, then is final. We should be the ones to be sorry for not trusting you"

"Thank you"

"Vhat a lovely scene. Vut this kind of things alvays make me vant to puke"

"The Freak is not going to share a thing with you, bird. Keep that in mind"

"I vill. And vhere´s my four legged comrade?"

"We don´t know and even we do, we..."

"Yes, yes, leave out dat part" Pericles snorts. "Still. Mr. E shows a lot of interest on dat dog and I vonder vhy"

"E is interested in Scooby?" Velma rises an eyebrow.

"Didn´t you know? He is quite more concerned vout the hund than vout you" smiles the bird while the mouth in the abdomen reappears. "Vut E didn´t told you. Naughty. Such vad, vad zing to do for a man vho has helped you so much or should haf helped you" the gang cowards seeing that the changes are far from over. His fingers get clawed and the goo makes large wings appear. "Anyvay, he vill end up vhere he should ve" they see a large tongue come out of the bell and lick the borders, the meaning of the sentence makes them all go sick. "Vut since you are vondering vhat I´m goink to do vith you, I shall enlight you, mein children. I vill use de goo to make you all vork for me in finding dose pieces and vhen I´m done, you´ll ve nothink vut mindless monsters. Vorse dan de ones you like to capture"

"Ha! No way"

"You think so? I can ve pretty überzeugen" they see the Freak bringing some strange containers and the gang guesses much to their horror, that that is the goo and that they cannot escape from this one. "Vhen I´m done vith you, Mr. E vill ve next"

"Never Land, Never Land" says the Freak.

"Ah, yes. Almost forgot. You vetter tell me all you know vout dat, or I vill directly send you into my kiefer"

SD

Scooby waits at the doors for his team. The gang is now surely in trouble. The Dane sighs.

"Why don´t you like me?" says a voice. Scoob then sees Fenrir on the glass where his reflection should be. Is a very large beast and is covered in chains (a bit like the Fox of Naruto)

"Ru are monster"

"Scheiße. I just do my job, kid" the wolf yawns. "Besides, I´m still chained so I dunno what´s your problem"

"Rained?"

"Yep. Pandora and Epimetheus hold my chains till the day of Ragnarok arrives. They are cursed to do that for unleashing the evils of the cursed box. But you, dog, you just keep me chained because your friends are afraid. Pathetic"

"Ru have no friends"

"I have family, you wimp"

"Ru do?"

"Aye, and so do you. My father, Loki, my grandfather, Abra, my brothers, Jormungard, the Sentinel, Garm, Garu, Sleipnier, Hel, Nari and Narfi, as well as my cousins and stuff, and my two pups, Hati and Skoll. Ha! Bet you didn´t know that"

"Rhu, ro"

"Hu! See? You care bout those kids, I care about my family. I can understand if you don´t trust me right now but you should"

"Ru rappear at the..."

"At the festival, yes. But thanks to that, your friends were saved so you should thank me for that" he has a point. "Anyway, what´s your prize?"

"Ruh?"

"What´s your prize? Don´t you speak English?"

"…"

"Uh, bloody Mjolnir. What I mean is what would it take to make you change your mind? You heard it at the festival. A creature below Crystal Cove wants to destroy the place and we want his head. So the thing is this. You are willing to save your friends and I want to chop that thing´s head. Different goals but same aim. So, what do you about it?"

"Rhu, rokey but..."

"You still don´t trust. Ok, I´ll do my best to make you see me with a different light. And as little welcome gift, let me tell you that one of the crooks holding your friends is the one who triggered all this of the old MI and stuff. And is someone you know very well so be warned when the real thing comes" they hear foot steps and Fenrir disappears leaving Scoob thoughtful.

* * *

Will Scooby make it on time?

Will Pericles succeed?

Will the Dane trust the wolf?

Why is there a Goodsight´s canon in Crystal Cove?

Next Clue: A Cat´s Dog


	9. Cat s Dog

Author´s note: We get into the real thing, darlings. Mr. Shogun has a long experience in this kind of things so fear not about Scooby, he´s in good paws. Will they make it on time to save the gang?

* * *

**9. A Cat´s Dog**

Scooby glances to see who´s coming and is glad to know that it is Mr. Shogun. Have him in this mission gives Scoob more courage than a whole shipment of Scooby Snacks. But in his head, he keeps wondering about what the wolf has said.

"Cranky fellow, isn´t he? Fenrir is tough but like you, he has a real BIG stomach and a good heart, when he wants of course" smiles the cat.

"Ru-ru saw him?"

"Scoob, am a cat. A very old one to tell the truth. Kellas Cat and spirit expert all my life. Oh, and an old acquaintance to Mr. Large Wolfie"

"Wow" Scooby´s breathless.

"We will now go save your friends but before you go and if you aren´t sure if you are able to do this, let me tell you a little secret" the Dane bends and gets closer. "OK. No person nor animal can know this, got that, Cujo?"

"Reah" nods Scooby

"A little-known cat secret. You know why we hate dogs? 'Cause we wanna be dogs! We have dog complexes. Well, not me…" Scoob gives him a look. "OK, I do, I do. I sometimes act as a dog myself. Geez, ya, ya lo he dicho. You guys are careless, happy, friendly, people love you. Us, we get less love. Cat persons are lonely and have no friends. Dog persons are surrounded by lots of friends. Face it" Scooby gives him a playful smile. "De acuerdo, hay más. Geez. Mutts used to chase me when I was little although it was actually a dog, female one, who taught me about living in the streets. There, happy?" the Dane nods and Shogun smiles too. "I have never had an owner nor a gang like yours so you better look after them with all your heart and soul"

"Ri will"

"Genial. Now, c´mon" they join the team. Montblanc and Alice are waiting for them but also a Belgian Mechelen Shepherd called Sultan "Gadget" and a Russian Blue cat named Zoe. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are off to save those kids and before you ask, Joey will send up the message once we are done. Now, off we pop"

"So, you´re the MI´s dog? You look bigger here than on screen" comments Zoe. She´s pretty sassy and eye for one, that she´s an expert agent.

"It´s so cool to meet you, Doo. Shogun has told us about that Fright Hound thing" Sultan and the Dane instantly become friends as the Shepherd is pretty friendly and has a very happy voice.

"Do you guys really have to talk about that? It´s all ready hard for me to go out at night, a lot more if you mention that thing" mutters Alice who walks near Mont´s paws.

"Don´t worry, Liz. This won´t take long" smiles the large dog.

"I hope so"

"So do we" sniggers Zoe. "Anyway, do you chase cats, spot?" she´s talking to Scoob.

"Rometimes but rot anymore"

"Good, I would have use my secret weapon otherwise" the feline joins Shogun.

"Recret weapon?"

"I think she means a rolled newspaper that she uses against dogs, self-defense only or so she says" whispers Sultan.

"Roh"

"OK, people barking´s over" says Mont. "Doc, we need to hurry"

"That´s easy" Shog jumps on top of the Dane and rides Scooby. "Wait for us at the town hall. Be right there" the team does so. "And you and me, are going to the hospital, just for a little choir, nothing else" the dog notices then that Margarita, Shogun´s guitar is at the cat´s back. "OK. Arre, Silver. TALLY HO!" the Dane starts to run like hell and Shogun has to grab from the collar to not fall down. Once at the hospital, they sneak in and get to Mr. E´s room. The Dane lowers his ears but they both walk inside where the man is connected to a Life Support System. They both notice Ed Machine sleeping on a chair. "Vale. We leave this for later. You´ll see later why" Shogun puts Margarita on the safety of a corner. "And now that we know this, we go to the rescue" they both nod but before leaving, Scooby rubs his muzzle against the man´s hand and much to his happiness, the fingers move and the eye lids softly twitch. Then the two leave the hospital and head for the town hall, where the super scent of the three dogs and the two cats leads them to the right place. Before getting in, they have a look through one of the windows. Pericles is giving the gang the goo so they must hurry. "Let´s see. We can´t just walk through the main door, we will be dog meat if we do. Hmm" he spots somewhere else. "Ah, that´s more like it. OK, mates, gather up" Shogun explains his plan. "You all capizzi? Yes, great! OK. Use the mist juice wisely and then we will only have two crooks to take down so watch for my signal" Scooby notices then two things. Alice is shaking in fear like crazy and there´s a steel badge hanging from Shogun´s neck and it has a strange V or U engraved. "Liz, try yo contain your furry other self until then, ok?"

"I will, although I dunno what are you talking about" nods the otter and Shogun and Scooby head for the other entrance where the Dane points out the badge.

"Oh, this? It´s quite a long story but, do you know that of `underdog´expression?"

"Ri"

"I was given that name because of this. It´s a V or better say a number five but people confused it with a U and seeing that I acted like a dog sometimes they called me Underdog but the name suits you better, in a positive way, of course"

"Rhank you"

"You´re welcome. To tell the truth, I have never had an owner or anything like it. I do have friends but, I think that even being that super cool hero, I´m still a black cat and people kick me , push me and everything because of that. I got this badge from a lab where I saw the worst side of humans and I stress worst. Those guys once came here looking for the nest but found nothing. You´re lucky to not have dealed with humans like that. The crooks you chase are just depressed, greedy or bored but never like those I just told you about. Pray that you never get to know them" they both go quiet. "But enough chachara, we need to distract that feather bag. But how?"

"Hmm" Scooby has an idea. He runs to the front door and lets out his biggest bark.

SD

"Hu? Our four legged comrade is here" Pericles smiles.

SD

"No, no. Too gentle. Watch this and learn from el Maestro" Shogun sits near him, coughs gently. "Mi, mimimimi... Mrreaow." Soft snarl. Deep breath and… "WOOOOF!" now that´s a super bark! That surely gets Pericles feathers to stand up right while they run for the other entrance. Shogun gets back on Scooby´s rump and they jump through a window, catching the ones inside by surprise. "There´s no need to fear, Underdog is here. Hahahaha! He´s here" Pericles turns to them. "Evening" the door opens with a crack and Mont´s team gets in, grabbing the parrot man from the arms and getting into action. The gang is under the effects of the goo but since Cassidy is not, Sultan helps her to a safer spot while they tackle down the kids. Alice is quickly chased by a raging Daphne but before she can catch her, the otter gets a serious case of hiccups and after a few ones, he turns into a ferocious version of herself that scares away the girl who then gets caught by Zoe who spills the mist juice while Alice grabs the girl from the hair. The goo she coughs is put into a jar. Scooby whines seeing the otter´s wild version. "Oops, forgot to mention that. Alice is claustrophobic and many other things, each time she gets too scared, that tiny Mss Hyde comes in and kicks butt"

"Wow" now the Dane´s impressed. Mont deals with Fred while Sultan evades Velma´s attacks. Shogun and Scoob take on Pericles and the Freak who don´t play fair. The parrot throws a large iron crate towards the cat who lies his back on the ground and uses his back paws to knock the object and crash it against the ceiling, when it falls again into the ground, Shogun just steps aside. Scoob is breathless, his hero is no ordinary cat if he can lift ten times his weight and give out a bark like the one before.

"You got a problem, wags" snarls the feline and Pericles attacks once more. The Freak tries to grab the Dane while Sultan finally knocks Velma and gets the goo out of her to help Scooby. The shepherd hits the Freak hard but it gets caught by the collar and smashed into the wall while Mont, Zoe and Alice finally take down Fred.

"You think youselves smart vut your not. I still have one of the gang and I shall destroy you all" Pericles launches against them and the team scatters. Isman, who hasn´t miss a single detail, smiles from a corner. He has already warned the parrot and since he did not listen, perhaps is a good time to finish this. With a wide grin, the strange man begins to speak and the bird man feels a sting of hunger running through his mind so he uses his abdominal tongue to grab Scooby by one of his paws. The team catches the Dane from the front paws and pulls. "You von´t stand a chance"

"Hey, doc. We´re out of juice!" says Zoe.

"Just great"

"What do we do?" Mont pulls harder. The gang gives them a hand once they have recovered but the Freak is not making it easy and the beast is quite strong.

Scooby whines.

"Give him the piece" speaks Fenrir through Scooby´s mind. "Use the piece"

"Ru sure?!"

"Just do it" barks the wolf and the Dane glances around. The bag with the piece is near him so he uses his tail to get it closer and grabs the Planispheric disc part.

"Ron rappetit" he throws it inside the belly´s mouth and once the tongue touches the metallic piece, the creature screams in pain letting the dog go. The many transformations that follow are hard to describe but after a few minutes, Shaggy lets out Pericles and the piece, and is back to his usual self. Then Shogun finds a few remains of the mist juice and uses them on the parrot, finally getting rid of the goo. The whole team sighs with relief as they retrieve the piece while the Freak runs away in anger, carrying the bird. "Rooo" the dog is dog tired.

"Nice job, bud. In one word, be-awesome" smiles Shog and the Dane friendly nudges him with his muzzle. Alice goes back to her self while the rest of the team go see how Sultan is. Scooby fears the worst, seeing the shepherd all teared apart but after a few seconds, an electronic buzzing rings and the dog gets back together. Now the Dane understands why they call him "Gadchet". Sultan is half a machine.

"Oh, bones. I hope I didn´t scare you guys" the shepherd wags his tail while Angel gives Scooby and Shogun a big hug. "Now that´s some reward"

"Thank ye both. And to you too" the dj smiles to the gang.

"Well, Scooby again saves the day. With some help but he does save the day" Fred scratches the dog who sees with a smile that Shaggy is back.

"SCOOBY DOO!" the sleuth gives his dog a wide open hug and Scoob jumps to his arms. "I missed you, buddy. I missed you so much"

"Now, that´s cute" smiles Shogun. When the cat notices a little sad beaming in the woman´s eyes, he adds. "Oh, by the way. Scoob man! We have to go pick up Margarita!"

"Oh, right" nods the Dane.

"Where did you left it?"

"In the hospital, where you should go. I wasn´t going to bring it here and get it spoiled" they go outside. "So, come on" a pigeon is waiting at the door. "Joey, go tell Milo that mission accomplished"

"Yes, doc. Right away" the bird takes flight and crashes into the nearest window. After a few seconds, it resumes its mission. Scooby glances at Shogun.

"In WAAT we´ve got great agents but Joey is one sad case" they both snigger. The sheriff is waiting at the town hall, apparently he has been like three or four hours looking for them but after some explaining, Stone finally gives in and lets them walk away. They all get into the Mystery Machine and drive to the hospital.

* * *

A REAL intense chapter this one was, but I said that this one fic is shorter than the ones before.

In a chapter like this, the music would be Underdog by Kyle Massey.

Shogun and Scoob are one heck of a team!

How will Cassidy react when she sees Ricky?

What will the gang do now?

Will they find out Mr. E´s identity? And the Freak´s?

And the people Shogun mentioned, who are they?

Next Clue: Man´s Best Friend


	10. Man s Best Friend

Author´s Note: At last the end of this fic, that I dedicate to Mr. Shogun, my best buddy through all these years apart from my human friends, my rabbit and my dog Lucas and a long etc. Shogun and I met when I was little and since then, he has been my hero with his Zorro attitude and his noble soul, and great sense of humour. Go, you, big S! I met him as a hand puppet of a black cat but Big S has proved that he is way too good to just leave me behind and I couldn´t forget my dear buddy. Love you, Shog!

Oh, and Joey is a pigeon, not a parrot!

Anyway, this is going to be a real HARD chapter, I warn you before starting, cuz things are going to take certain turns. And I can say that after this one and my version of All Fear the Freak, I won´t be following the show´s script because I have my own ideas, although some of the episodes of season 2 are real good. Where the hell are the new ones?! The song belongs to me as a little present! Enjoy!

* * *

**10. Man´s Best Friend**

The hospital is swarming with activity when they get there, Angel feels like coming in and out from conciousness. Velma helps her get to the Emergency Ward where a nurse has a good look at her. A long hour follows but finally, the ATS says that everything´s all right but Angel will need a few days of rest. Fred and the gang wait for her in one of the rooms where Shogun tells them where Margarita is. The cat is about to tell something important to Cassidy when the blond young man interrupts.

"How are you feeling?" Fred helps the woman take a sit.

"I´m fine. Thanks" she sighs and glances at her injuries. "Am glad it was nothing in the end"

"Us too" Shaggy nods.

"Uhm, Angel. I want to ask you something if you don´t mind" Velma has one of her hands all bandaged.

"Do tell, babe"

"Pericles mentioned Ricky. Is that Ricky Owens from your group?"

"Yes, that´s right" her tone goes sad.

"Ricky´s in town?" the gang sits around her. Scooby and Shogun who do know the truth have both a bad feeling about this.

"Yes, he has helped me a lot this years"

"You said back in the lair I had to hide, but you were really saying we had to hide"

"So, like, if that Owens guy is also hiding, then who is he now?"

"…" Cassidy goes quiet.

"You work for Mr. E, don´t you? That is why the Freak called him" Fred goes on.

"We are just trying to put things right although E sometimes minds his own agenda. But I try to protect you guys, even when he is thinking in something else"

"Like the treasure" that is not a question, is a statement. "Pericles was right about that"

"That bird made my friends and I miserable, don´t you understand?"

"We know that that bird is up to no good but still, why does he and the Freak want with Mr. E?"

"What makes you work with that creep?"

"Guys, please. E saved me when I was pushed out of Crystal Cove, I owe him my life"

"Just that?" the girls are hard to convince.

"They called E your knight in shining armour. He can´t just be any person"

"…" Cassidy bits her lip. "Please forgive me" she whispers to herself. "He..."

"Angel" Ed Machine walks into the room and glances at the gang.

"Ed Machine?!" the kids are speechless.

"No, su tía. Who else could it be?" grumbles Shogun making Scooby laugh.

"What are you doing here?"

"E´s here"

"What?"

"You are E´s henchman" says Velma. "Who told us that he was here because of a heart attack"

"Wait, WHAT THE F*?!" Cassidy glances between Ed and the gang. "You knew and you didn´t tell me?"

"We were about to tell you!"

"And later, I´m the one keeping secrets. What happened?" she´s really pissed off.

"When you got attacked by the Freak, he made a call to E. Thinking it was you, he answered. The Freak spoke and E went pale in panic. He thought you were dead or something worse. He had a fit of panic and thus a heart attack. I was able to keep him alive until the ambulance arrived. Now he´s in the Intensive Care Ward, in coma. The doctors aren´t sure when will he wake up" Ed says and Cassidy feels her knees give up as she breaks into tears. The gang tries to comfort her but she rejects them.

"Why didn´t anyone told me?!"

"C´mon, gang" Fred decides to take the group outside.

"But, Fred..." complains Daphne.

"We will only make things worse. Let´s go" they all leave but Scooby and Shogun stay in the room despite the callings from the kids. The Dane sits near Cassidy and gently touches her shoulder with his paw.

"Ri´m rorry. Ri..." Cassidy does not let him finish the sentence and gives him a hug.

"You two are the only ones who do understand. That is why you left the guitar here, what you were about to tell me"

"I was planning to tell you on our way here or after you´ve been examined but the gang went to that question time and so, this happened..."

"Ri..." Scooby lowers his ears.

"Even if I could, I will never go mad at you, Scoob. You helped me back in the nest and that something I won´t forget. I only wish things were different. Pericles now is aware of who Mr. E is and about me, and so is the Freak"

"Uh, Scooby also knows that E is Ricky but he won´t tell a thing, right, bud?"

"Ri promise" the Dane will keep this bow.

"You are the most loyal friend one could ever want. You really make the expression Man´s best friend come true, Scooby Doo. I wish the gang could see that"

"We should go and see how E´s doing" Ed helps her up.

"Ok" the dj sighs sadly.

"You may go home now if you like" Machine glances at Shogun and the team. The cat looks at Scooby.

"Ri ain´t roing anywhere" the Dane follows them into the ward. Only the feline and Scoobert are allowed in. Angel holds a cry when she sees his friend in such state.

"Ricky..." she touches his hand. Is a bit cold. There´s a mask on his face so he can breathe and the doctors had to shave him in order to be able to put him all the things. Is weird to see him without his full beard and the long hair. The woman sits at the man´s bedside and looks at him. Scooby lays his head on her lap and they both remain quiet while Shogun gets Margarita back. "Scoob?"

"Ru?"

"Will you... Can I tell you why am I working with E?"

"Rure" he nods gently.

"You know E´s Ricky, right?"

"Reah!"

"Well, the truth is that... We were in love once"

"Uh" the dog blinks.

"OK, he doesn´t look that attractive right now but were in love just like Shaggy and Velma. Pericles was jealous of course and Rick choose me over him. The parrot betrayed the gang and we had to leave Crystal Cove. I was still in love with that goofy and gentle boy who searched clues with me but, I knew that being together could put us in danger. That is why I ended up our relation. Ricky went mad of course and I got angry because he couldn´t see that I was doing it to protect him. Years later, Ricky found me again. He was changed, very changed. He was like a totally different man and was determined to get revenge and the treasure. Also, he was now called Mr. E and was the owner of Destroido, a company so rotten that I could hardly believe that it belonged to him. But somehow I knew that Ricky was still bitter about Pericles, losing the treasure, losing his home and me. We came back together to Crystal Cove and I accepted to work WITH him. I had the hope that maybe I could change him back, like the prince turned into a frog, but I´m too naive, I guess"

"Re rue love kiss?"

"Did thought about that, babe. But each time I try, I have the feeling that he doesn´t want to change back. And now, with him like this, we´re are on our own against Pericles and the Freak. And if it gets worse, we will have to leave town"

"Ri think... Raybe he´s still rin love"

"Now, really, please"

"Ri mean it"

"I think Scooby isn´t kidding about it" says Shogun. "Somehow, there´s something left of your Ricky in there" the cat soflty touches the guitar strings.

"Rand rhe loves you"

"Thanks guys but I think this will take longer than just saying the magic words" Cassidy softly wraps the man´s hand with hers. "For now, I just want him back"

"I will see to the business while he´s here" Ed Machine smiles. "M. Noir will take away the goo tanks and if we have to leave town, he will see to Mr. Owens"

"That´s a relief but, why would Ricky work with that worm of Simmons in the first place?"

"Harland gave him the chance to rebuild his life. But this goo business was not directed by Simmons" says the CEO.

"¿Perdón? Me he vuelto sordo. Repeat, please" Shogun blinks.

"The goo was brought here by orders of Mr. Zimmer" what do you know? The Russian folk might not be as gentleman as he pretends to be. "I just talked to Harland and he told me"

"That has no sense. I know Simmon lives in that hideout, that lair located in who knows where but why would his assistant do such thing?"

"I am not sure. M. Noir also distrusts Zimmer and we should do the same"

"Rhogun" Scooby glances at the cat.

"I don´t want to think in that possibility and I mean it, but the more I think it, the more clearer it gets"

"What possibility?"

"The gang received a note at the festival saying that the nest brought mad people to town. Well, remember those guys of the lab I told you about?"

"Uh, ri"

"Zimmer might be working with them"

"Rho no"

"What lab? What are you talking about?"

"About Project Pandora" the name is not new for the two humans. "It rings a bell, doesn´t it?"

"I thought they were caught"

"Not all"

"Rho?"

"Pandora. Scientist, assassins and other junk all together to create real life monsters from innocent people, spread unknown illnesses and their aim is Sunken Island cuz they believe they will become immortal"

"(Whines)"

"We have to do something"

"I know but, if we let the cat out of the bag now, they´ll escape"

"Shogun´s right" admits Ed.

"Then, we will wait. Thanks for everything guys. Can you please take Scoob home, I´ll stay with Ricky"

"Yes, m´am" Machine takes the Dane home while all the agents go back to the agency. Shogun promises Scoob to him updated about it. Shaggy is already home when he gets there and seeing the dog´s expression, the young man gives him a big hug.

"You don´t have to tell, bud. If it is something you have to keep, I don´t mind. I´m already glad to have you back" the dog gives out a smile but in his heart, he´s crying. This mystery didn´t have a happy ending after all and things can become worst if this goes on.

SD

The gang goes to bed while Jones stays awake for a long while. Pericles has told him that they need to get rid of the kinder so that the treasure can finally belong to them but Jones Sr is doubtful. Is true that Fred isn´t his real son and this afternoon, he has let the parrot play foul with him but somehow, he has come to care about the boy. Perhaps the best thing to do is just to dismantle the detective team. And that is a job for the Freak.

Meanwhile, Cassidy remains near Ricky´s side. She waits for him to wake up while Shogun is at the entrance, playing Margarita while he watches Jormungard spy on Owens.

The cat knows that a storm is about to fall and with a long sigh closes this mystery, asking his dear Margarita. This guitar has seen and feel a lot of things along its long life and thus, Shogun always asks her in times like this. A few strings and Margarita answers with a sad tone.

"_I have loved, I have despaired,_

_I thought I could forget_

_But its taking me over._

_What is my heart going to say?_

_If I can no longer go back,_

_May I ask one last pray?_

_If you are coming back some day,_

_Please take me home._

_That smiles really suits you,_

_Your voice will do the rest._

_Any wish is granted,_

_Thus I have little to offer._

_Cry and stay, falling_

_Under damping sky_

_Like a beaten bird._

_As years have gone rounded,_

_I have almost forgotten_

_There was just a moment._

_I can't tell your name,_

_Why is it so hard to remember?_

_And with each teardrop,_

_I'm cursing over myself._

_The punishment for this,_

_Is for me to suffer days_

_In the longest evening_

_Without you been there._

_There will be strong bonds,_

_Even in the far distances_

_And that is the one_

_We have already chosen._

_If you ever come again,_

_At least smile for me again_."

One sad ending I must say.

* * *

Next is "The Crystal Method", yes! My own version of All Fear the Freak.

We have a lot of things to see, to solve and who knows if there will be a happy ending or one similar to the one of the series.

What is Pandora? What is Zimmer really up to? And Simmons?

What will Pericles and Jones do?

Will Ricky wake up on time?

And the gang?

See you next on "The Crystal Method"


End file.
